Unconsolable
by purplepagoda
Summary: This takes place immediately after the end of revival episode 4 (Fall). Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled. Sometimes Gilmore Girls have to grow up. Sometimes wrongs need to be righted.
1. Grow up, Gilmore

She takes a deep breath, as her face twists, and contorts in ways beyond her control. She attempts to maintain her composure. Her chest suddenly feels as if it is being wrapped in an ace bandage. In an instant she feels the breath being sucked out of her. She tries to wrap her head around the words that have just clumsily slipped from her daughter's mouth. The past thirty two years flash before her eyes. She inhales, and exhales a number of times. Her daughter stares at her in the silence that has enveloped them, unexpectedly. Rory sits to her left, waiting expectantly for a response. Without a word Lorelai grabs the bottle next to her, and vacates her seat. She rises to her feet, and descends the stairs of the gazebo.

"Mom?" Rory calls after her.

The tone of Rory's voice mimics the sound of her own broken heart. She clenches her jaw, as tears well up in her eyes. She doesn't turn around as her daughter calls her name a second time. She keeps walking.

"Mom?!" Rory calls a third time. "Say something!" She begs.

"We'll talk about this later," she insists as she walks away.

* * *

Later that day the wedding, and reception come, and go. Luke, and Lorelai take off on an unplanned getaway. Lorelai utters less than a dozen words to Rory in the hours proceeding her departure. After the pomp, and circumstance is over Rory returns to the crap shack. She takes a seat in the kitchen at an empty table. She finds herself hurt, confused, and perplexed, as she reflects on the events of the past year as she sits alone in an empty house. The sound of someone knocking on the door jars her back into a state of reality. She greets the familiar face at the door.

"What are you doing here?" She asks him in a small voice.

"Are you okay?"

"No," she admits for the first time.

"Can I come in?"

"Jess what are you doing here?"

"Did I miss something? I feel as if I missed something."

"Can I take your jacket?" She answers.

He nods, without missing a beat, "That bad, huh?"

She hangs up his jacket on the coat rack as he closes the door. He follows her as she silently makes her way into the kitchen. He follows suit when she takes a seat at the kitchen table.

"Rory? What is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"With you? With you and Lorelai? The two of you barely said to words to each other today. Then she and Luke announce that they are taking off for Nantucket after the wedding. What happened? I suddenly feel as if I have stepped into some alternate universe."

"I think that I blew her mind."

He furrows his brow, "Blew her mind? How?"

"I told her that I'm pregnant."

He looks into her eyes. She drinks in the expression on his face, but it doesn't reek of surprise.

"Did it ever occur to you that you caught her off guard?"

"I am sure that I did. She didn't say anything."

"What do you mean?"

"When I told her she didn't say anything. She got up, and walked away. She literally turned her back on me."

"What did you expect her to say?"

"Anything," she answers quickly.

"She said nothing?"

"As she was walking away she told me that we would talk about it later."

"I see. You look concerned," he observes.

"It is one hundred percent out of character for her."

He smirks, "Characters grow, and change all of the time. Your mother is a multi-faceted being, and suspect there are a couple of sides that she doesn't let anyone see, even you."

"I don't have any idea what she was thinking. She gave me no indication what was going through her head."

"Rory this isn't about her," he points out.

She sighs, "I know."

"So what are you going to do?"

Rory shakes her head, and shrugs. She suddenly feels as if she is a teenager once again. Everything about this situation feels completely, and totally wrong. "I wish that I could give you some insightful answer, but I've literally got nothing."

"Are you going to keep the baby?" He quizzes.

"Yes," she confirms.

"Then what?"

"My entire life is up in the air. It only makes sense that I would haphazardly add one more thing to my plate."

"Did you ever consider that it's time?"

She furrows her brow as she stares at his deep brown eyes. "Time for what?"

"It's time to grow up, Gilmore."

She exhales. His words hit her hard. She allows the silence to set in, as she considers his musings. She would never, in her wildest dreams consider this scenario. Jess Mariano sits before her, telling her to grow up. He has had character growth. He has a job, and underwear, and a life that she knows nothing about. He has done it on his own, much like Lorelai. For a moment her train of thought goes off the track, and she wonders why she has never considered his likeness to her mother before. He clears his throat, and she meets his eyes once again.

"Rory stop waiting," he insists, "There is no knight in shining armor coming to save you. You are the knight and shining armor."

"You would never have to tell my mother that."

"No, I wouldn't. She has always been the heroine in her own story."

"I haven't. I am not as strong, as she is. I am not as brave, or fearless. I don't know how to be that kind of person."

"You become that kind of person, when you have no other choice," he tells her. He vacates his seat, and stops next to her. She reaches out, and grabs his arm. He looks down at her. In that moment they both realize they are in totally different places in their lives. For the first time Rory realizes that Jess has surpassed her maturity level. He smiles at her, and gently reminds her, "If you need me you know the number." She lets go of his arm, and watches as he walks away from her, too.


	2. All These Things That I've Done

Luke rolls over, to find his wife is missing. He crawls out of bed, and follows the scent of her shampoo to a balcony. She is so deep in thought that she doesn't hear him approaching. She startles, when she realizes that he is standing next to her. Without a word he reaches over, and intertwines his fingers in hers. She stands at the railing of the balcony in a pair of leggings paired with a black t-shirt, and a matching oversize cardigan. Her wet hair is secured into a sloppy bun on the top of her hair. She turns to him, and forces a smile.

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm sorry," she apologizes.

"For what?"

"This should be the most exciting time of our lives, and I am over here being mopey, and broody."

"What happened between you, and Rory before we left?"

"She told me she was pregnant."

"What?!"

"Apparently she is having a baby," Lorelai answers.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

He furrows his brow, "What do you mean, nothing?"

"I said nothing. She told me, and I got up, and left."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"When I was walking away I told her that we would talk about it later."

"She is thirty two," he reminds her.

"That's not the point."

"Are you angry at her?"

She shrugs, "I don't know."

He presses his hand to the small of her back, and leads her over to a lounge chair situated in at the corner of the balcony. She takes a seat. He situates himself on the end of the lounger, adjacent to her.

"Talk to me," he implores.

"It brought up all of these emotions, and thoughts that I didn't even know I had."

"For example?"

"I failed her. As a parent I failed her."

"What are you talking about?"

"It kills me to say this, but my mother was right. I spent so much time, and effort doing everything in a way that didn't reflect them. I didn't want to be like them, and I took it to an extreme. Not everything about my childhood was terrible. They were misguided in some of their choices, but in a lot of instances they were trying to guide me, and protect me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he admits.

"Luke, this is not what I wanted for her. This is not how I pictured her life. It isn't how I raised her. She is a rolling stone, and I am a fool because I encouraged it. I picked her up off the floor every time she fell. She never learned how to stand on her own two feet. She never learned that you have to clean up your own messes."

He watches her ever changing facial expression, as she goes through a myriad of emotions. He looks into her bright blue eyes, and for a moment he catches a glimpse of her soul. It hits him. Her smiles at her widely, and kisses her cheek.

"I get it, now."

She furrows her brow, "Get what?"

"It wasn't entirely about you being faced with the thought of mortality. It was about starting over. You want a chance to right your mistakes. You hate questions that are unanswered. It isn't fair for me to do this to you."

She shakes her head, "Luke I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

"You feel unfulfilled. You started The Dragonfly at precisely the right time. Rory was about to go off into the world on her own, and so it became your baby. You put the idea on the back-burner for such a long time that the light became bleak, and you nearly forgot about it."

She feels exposed, and emotionally vulnerable, "My mother was right about something else, too."

"If only she were here to hear this, right now," he smirks.

She playfully punches him in the arm. He grins, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"We're practically roommates. We go through our routine, but the spark is fading, and I am terrified that I am going to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere," he reminds her.

"We are content, but neither one of us is blissfully happy."

"That is because you were right. Something is missing."

"Paul Anka?" She tries to lighten the mood, and veer from the raw, meaningful conversation that they are having.

"We should have a baby," he tells her.

She struggles to wrap her mind around his change of heart. "Where is this coming from?"

"I told you that you were enough, and you are…"

She cuts him off, "But?"

"Part of my always pictured the two of us with a child of our own. I didn't want to admit it, because initially I thought you had closed the door on the idea. I love you more than anything, and I didn't want you to think that I was disappointed. You know I hate talking about feelings."

"Are you being serious, right now?"

"Yes. Do you have your phone?"

"It's in my pocket, why?"

"You should call Paris. Time is ticking."

"Luke are you sure? You're not just doing this to try, and cheer me up?"

"No. You know I had the same dream," he admits.

She furrows her brow, "What are you talking about?"

"Before you told me about the dream where you came down the stairs, and I was there cooking breakfast…"

She continues, "And you were talking to my stomach?"

"I remember because you growled at me for hiding your coffee. I had the same dream, before you did."

"You never told me."

"We were going in different directions back then."

"We're not now."

"Call that crazy, neurotic woman, and ask her to set up another appointment," he insists.


	3. Nobody To Blame

She finally returns home after two weeks on the coast. She and Luke, had originally planned to be away for a couple of days. Emily rented a nearby property for them as their wedding gift. Their time consisted of deep heart-felt conversations, walks on the beach, and dinners with Emily. As she walks through the door she has a smile on her face. The excursion was more delightful than she could even imagine. Luke carries their bags up the stairs. She kisses him, and he heads off to the shower. She rounds the corner, making her way towards the kitchen. She stops dead in her tracks at Rory's doorway. She finds her thirty-something sound asleep in her child-hood room. She has had plenty of time to reflect on what she wants to say. Rory's alarm clock reminds her it is before dawn. She takes a deep breath, and moves towards Rory. She flips on the lamp, next to Rory's bed. Rory rolls over, and looks at her.

"What time is it?" Rory groans.

"Just after five. That is the first thing you say to me after not seeing me for two weeks?"

"I just woke up."

"Wake up, because we need to talk."

Rory shifts into a sitting position. Lorelai doesn't crawl into bed next to her, like she has so many times before. She scoots a chair next to Rory's bed, and takes a seat.

"You didn't answer any of my phone calls," Rory points out.

"I told you we would talk later, and it wasn't later yet."

"That sounds incredibly childish," Rory argues.

Lorelai feels the rage welling up inside of her, "Do you really want to start down that road?"

"What road?"

"Rory I love you with every single fiber of my being."

"But?"

"I did not raise you to be this person. You flit from one thing to the next like a rolling stone. You refuse to plant roots. You _are_ the definition of the other woman. This is not how I raised you. This is not how you should be behaving. You need to grow up. I have given a lot of consideration to what you said. You are an adult. You aren't twenty anymore. I am not going to pick up the pieces. This is not my responsibility. You can do whatever you want, but you are not going to do it here."

Rory furrows her brow, "What?! Where is all of this coming from?"

"I should have been your mom first, and your friend second, not the other way around. I screwed up. I made a mistake. You can't run home every time something doesn't go your way. You keep making careless decisions without lending any consideration to what the consequences might be. I have always supported you. I come running anytime you need someone to pick up the pieces. I love you, but from now on it's tough love. Dammit, Rory! You're having a baby. You are thirty two years old, with a degree from Yale. You don't have a job, or an address of your own. "

"Lorelai!" Rory growls, "Stop!"

Lorelai wipes the tears from her cheeks on the sleeve of her shirt. "You have to grow up," Lorelai responds, unrelenting.

Rory stares at her mother. In a rare turn of events Rory sees her mother completely vulnerable. Lorelai's face is red with anger, and disappointment as tears trace her cheeks. Lorelai stares back at her daughter who at thirty two is still not mature enough to handle the harsh realities of the world, and she only blames herself.

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown," Rory responds.

"I refuse to be your safety net anymore. I did not raise some vapid, entitled kid who lives on a trust fund, and falls in love with some punk-ass, entitled, rich, pretty-boy, who is otherwise taken. I have put the broken pieces of your heart back together too many times. Rory, I know that I have not always set the best example. I have had my fair share of missteps. Obviously based on your reckless, and careless behavior I probably completely screwed up when I was raising you. At a certain point you have to take responsibility for your own actions. There is no time like the present. It shouldn't have to coincide with the presence of two pink lines, but here we are. I didn't want to know. I pretended that I didn't notice. It seems like the past several years I put myself on auto-pilot, and I was coasting through life. Enough is enough."

"Where is all of this coming from?"

"You are thirty-two years old. You don't have a job, or insurance. You don't have a home. I am not entirely sure that you ever found your underwear. You are knocked up, and I don't know whether to hope the father is a Wookie that you had a one-night stand with, or Logan."

"I didn't know that you felt so strongly about all of this."

"You should have won a Pulitzer prize by now."

"I know. What happened to me? What happened to my life? I can't explain it."

Lorelai shrugs, "I don't know. Sometimes I don't even feel like I know you anymore. I mean you strung that poor, unsuspecting Paul around for years. What were you even doing with him?"

"I got into a rut. I felt my life spiraling out of control, and I didn't do anything about it. I allowed myself to make one stupid decision after the other. I got myself into this situation, and I am ashamed of it all. I don't know what is wrong with me. I allowed myself to be content with playing second fiddle while I was playing someone else all along. I don't know how I even got here. How did we get here? My life is spiraling out of control, while you're here in Stars Hollow on auto-pilot pretending that you are perfectly happy with the way that things are."

"This isn't about me, right now. This is about you."

"Why are we doing this? Why are you doing this? You are turning into your mother."

"At least my mother has a back-bone," Lorelai rages.

"This isn't you!" Rory argues.

"Grow up, kid."


	4. What Do You Say?

"Grow up, kid? That is your advice?"

"Rory it is time that you find your own way. No more running home to mommy when things get to hard. No more couch surfing, when you have nowhere else to stay."

"What are you saying?"

"I am giving you thirty days to find your own place."

Rory falls silent, she feels a sudden gut-wrenching sense of betrayal. Lorelai studies her daughter, closely. Rory wears an oversized Paul Anka t-shirt that she has stolen from Lorelai. It suddenly occurs to Lorelai that she Rory is starting to show. She adopts a quieter, more even tone.

"How long have you known?" She asks as the color drains from her face.

"A while. I didn't know how to tell you," she admits, candidly.

"You used to tell me everything."

"That was before you became a gargoyle."

"You're calling me a scary, stone-like creature who is completely unapproachable? You might as well have called me Emily."

"We are both clearly upset. I think that we should table this discussion for now," Rory responds logically.

"Fine," Lorelai nods in agreement.

Lorelai retreats from the room as quickly as she would run from a blazing fire. She races up the stairs, passing her bed as she makes a beeline for the bathroom. She closes the door quietly, fearing she will wake her husband. She turns on the shower to scrub the day off her skin. She climbs into the shower, and wonders when she turned into her mother. The water hits her skin as the tears unleash themselves with a vengeance.

Rory draws her knees to her chest, and hugs them tightly. She wants to march up the stairs, and argue with her mother. She exhales, and wipes her tears on her blanket. Deep down she knows there is no arguing with Lorelai. There is no arguing with her mother, because she is completely, and totally accurate, and logical in everything that she's said. It is painstakingly obvious the message her mother has delivered without actually saying the words. She can hear the words echoing in her head, as if she has, though. In her mother's voice she hears _, "I am disappointed in you. You're a failure."_ She crawls out of bed, and pulls out her phone, and her laptop.

Lorelai is standing in front of the mirror with wet hair dripping on her shoulders, wrapped in a cream color bath towel. She hears knuckles wrapping against the door. She wipes the tears from her face, and turns towards the door. She turns the knob, and finds Luke standing in the doorway. He enters the room. Without a word he wraps his arms around her. She buries her head in his shoulder. He holds her tight, and she exhales feeling secure in his embrace.

"I'm right here," he reminds her.

"I told her that she has thirty days to find her own place," Lorelai blubbers.

"Okay."

She slips from his embrace, "It's not okay! She is thirty two. She shouldn't be living in the same room she was when she was twelve. She needs to grow up! She is having a baby! I don't know if she is ever even going to speak to me, again. She called me a gargoyle, and she's right."

"Lorelai, stop," he says calmly.

"What if I am turning into my mother?"

"You're not," he reassures her.

"But, what if I am?!"

"You're not. There are parts of your mother that you already possess."

She arches an eyebrow in dismay, "Like what?"

"You take no shit!"

"This is true."

"You can plan an event like nobody else I know."

"Yes, I can."

"She isn't all bad. Everyone has their quirks. You're not her, though."

* * *

Paris sits at her desk, picking apart a salad that she is grossly unsatisfied with, when her door flies open. She looks up, and finds Rory racing towards her.

"What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you."

"How much do you pay?"

Paris furrows her brow as Rory settles herself in a chair.

"Are you desperate for money, Gilmore? I can give you a loan."

"I am serious."

"If you need money I'll give you a loan. You aren't a candidate to be a gestational carrier, anyway."

"Why not?"

"You have to have already given birth."

"How long would I have to wait after giving birth to be a candidate?"

"At least six months," she answers, "Rory, what the hell? Why are you asking?"

"I want to keep my options open."

"Have you fallen into dire straits? Have you developed a nasty drug habit? Is it gambling?"

"No! I'm pregnant!"

"What?! Since when?"

"For a few months now," she admits.

"Oh."

"I'm freaking out! I am thirty two. I shouldn't be freaking out. I should have my shit together. I should have a husband, and a mortgage, or at least a permanent address."

"Calm down!"

"Calm down?! Remember when you found out that you were pregnant?"

Paris moves from behind the desk, and takes a seat next to Rory.

"Rory, it's going to be okay."

"I don't have a job. How am I going to support a kid? They are expensive. I'm not ready."

"Having a baby with who?"

"Myself," Rory answers, adamantly.

Paris nods her head in understanding, "Call Glenn."

"Glenn?" She furrows her brow, "Former writer at the Yale Daily News?"

"He owns the Hartford Courant."

"Owns?"

"He came into some money, and bought the Hartford Courant."

"Why?"

Paris shrugs, "He always had mediocre dreams? How should I know what possess Glenn to do anything?"

"You want me to grovel for a spot at a mediocre newspaper?"

"He is looking for a staff writer, and it pays. It is something that will get your foot in the door."


	5. Parental Guidance

She takes a seat on the bed, and surveys her surroundings. She sighs in defeat, as her mother comes through the doorway. Lorelai finds her daughter sitting in what used to be Luke's apartment. She places a box of pots, and pans on the kitchen table. Rory wears a purple sweatshirt, and a pair of leggings. To say that things have been tense between Rory, and Lorelai have been tense over the past couple of weeks is a complete understatement.

"Rory?" Lorelai calls her name for the third time.

Rory looks up at her, "Huh?"

"Hon, where were you just now?"

She shrugs, "I don't know."

Lorelai takes a seat next to her on the bed, "Talk to me," she implores.

"This is not what I pictured."

"You have been up here before," Lorelai points out.

Rory shakes her head, "This is not how I pictured my life going."

"That makes two of us."

"I'm scared," Rory admits.

"I know."

"This is where you are supposed to tell me that everything is going to be alright."

"I have no way of knowing that. It is every man for himself."

"You know you never asked," Rory points out.

"Asked what?" Lorelai responds.

"What other party is responsible for this occurrence."

"First of all it is none of my business. Second of all, I just assumed that it was Logan."

"You shouldn't assume anything, after all, I am a woman of questionable morals."

Lorelai's eyes widen as her mouth forms an 'O' shape. "How questionable? More questionable than a Wookie?"

"That was just the tip of the iceberg," she admits.

Lorelai shakes her head, "I don't think that I want to talk about this. You have friends, discuss it with them."

"Forget I even brought it up," Rory responds.

"I am going to head home," Lorelai announces, as she rises.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know it would be this hard."

Lorelai plants a kiss on the top of her forehead, "Harder than you'll ever know, kid."

* * *

Lorelai finds her husband sitting on the couch watching the six o'clock news when she returns home. She slides into to a spot right next to him. He reaches for the remote, and flips the TV off. He just stares at her in silence.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"You weren't gone very long," he points out.

"Cutting the apron strings," she reminds him.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No," she shakes her head, "You bailed her out, but no."

"I didn't bail her out," he points out.

"She didn't have anywhere to go."

"She is going to pay me rent."

"I am not mad, she needed a place to live, and this was not it."

"What are you going to do with her room?"

"I made her take all of her stuff. That room is no longer going to be a shrine to Rory. It can be whatever we want it to."

"When do we get to go see that overbearing dictator?" Luke queries.

"We're going to go see Paris two weeks from today," she reminds him.

* * *

She enters the room, and takes a seat next to her mother. Emily wears a pair of khaki's, and a cardigan with her keds. Lorelai can't help, but grin at her attire, as they sit at Emily's kitchen table. Emily looks up at her daughter, and pushes her untouched cup of coffee to the younger Gilmore. She waits for an answer to a question that she has yet to ask.

"You are wondering what I am doing here," Lorelai surmises.

"That is a fair question, isn't it?" Emily responds.

"It is," Lorelai purses her lips.

"Lorelai, did you run away from home? You certainly aren't a teenage girl."

"No."

"What are you doing here? You typically run away from me," Emily makes a valid point.

"Have you talked to Rory lately?"

"I spoke with her yesterday, why?"

"I need guidance," Lorelai admits.

Emily abruptly vacates her seat at the table. She opens the cabinet, and retrieves a bottle of scotch. She retrieves the first dish she comes to from another cabinet, and pours. She takes a large swig of the amber liquor, and returns to the table with her mug.

"Mom, its ten a.m., and you're drinking liquor out of a novelty mug. Is that my ' _I Love Lucy'_ mug?"

"Yes."

"Why do you have my mug? Why are you drinking liquor out of my mug?"

"I found it in Rory's belongings."

"That does not answer my question."

"I knew it was yours, and I took it."

Lorelai arches an eyebrow, "That literally makes no sense."

"I could explain, but it is silly, really."

"I require an explanation, or the rest of the scotch," Lorelai admits.

"I had decided that I was moving here," she tries to keep her explanation brief, and simple.

"I need more," Lorelai insists.

"I wanted something that reminded me of you."

Lorelai furrows her brow, "Emily Gilmore! You are admitting to being a sentimental thief!"

"I suppose so," she nods, unamused.

"Have you seen a vintage black Van Halen t-shirt circa 1984? If I went into your closet right now, would I find my t-shirt?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Am I being ridiculous?"

"It is in the laundry," Emily grins.

"What?!"

"I wore it the other day when I was gardening," she reveals.

"No! You wore it to garden it? How long have you had it?"

"Since you abandoned it," she answers.

"What did you wear with it?"

"Lorelai, why are you here? You didn't just drive up here for no reason. You mentioned something about needing guidance, from me, of all people."

"Has Rory alerted you to her condition?"

"If you are referring to her pregnancy she announced it to me weeks ago."

"I don't even know what to say to her. Every time that I look at her, I just want to shake her. She isn't a kid anymore."

"Some things you have to let her figure out on her own."

"What if she is incapable?"

"Lorelai," she begins in her, 'listen to me' tone, "You have raised a very bright, and capable daughter. What are you really worried about, here?"


	6. The Devil Went Down To Georgia

"Christopher is her father," the words fly out of Lorelai's mouth before she has a chance to process them.

"I assume you are referring to her flightiness?"

"I love my daughter, but part of that she gets from him. She has always had a safety net. She has always been able to come home, or come to you when things got too hard. This is different. She is having a baby, she can't do that anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"What if she gets a job offer to go to Paris, or Omaha, and it is a good career move?"

"You're afraid that she will pick up, and leave you behind? Are you telling me that you are afraid that she is going to pack her bags, and take your grandchild with her?"

"Part of me is," Lorelai allows her vulnerability to shine through.

"She is an adult she can go wherever she pleases."

"I'm sorry," Lorelai begins.

"For what?"

"If I ever made you feel this way. This is awful."

"There is the other side of the coin, too," Emily points out.

Lorelai furrows her brow, "What do you mean?"

"What if she takes a job in Paris, or Omaha, and decides to leave without the baby? What if she packs her bags, and leaves the baby with you?"

"She wouldn't do that," Lorelai argues.

"What if she feels like she isn't capable of being a single parent?"

"You were just saying how capable she is."

"Does she know how capable she is? She certainly hasn't demonstrated in recent history that she does."

"You have a point there."

"Lorelai I still don't understand why you're here. These are conversations that you should be having with her."

"I am terrified that she is going to say she has decided to move away. I mean what kind of career prospects does she have in Stars Hollow?"

"You made it work," Emily reminds her.

"Different situation, different generation."

"Your blood runs through her veins, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then she has what it takes."

Lorelai falls silent. She stares at her mother, and she can't help but smile. For once in her life her mother has managed to say something helpful. Emily looks happy, and well-rested.

"Mom I think it was good that you move to Nantucket."

"So I couldn't insist on weekly dinners?"

Lorelai shakes her head, "You seem different. You seem relaxed, and happy."

"I am," Emily grins. She studies her daughter, closely.

"Good."

"Are you doing something different with your skin care regimen?" Emily inquires.

"No, why?"

"Your skin just seems very radiant today."

"Maybe it is the Nantucket air," Lorelai suggests.

"Yes, maybe it is," Emily nods.

* * *

The entire drive home Emily's comment rattles around in Lorelai's brain. She shoves it aside, as she gets off the freeway, and turns towards Stars Hollow. Her growling stomach leads her directly to Luke's. She orders the usual, and steals a table in the middle of the diner. She looks up, and finds Rory bouncing towards her.

"You seem chipper this morning," Lorelai observes.

Rory takes a seat, and grabs a fry of Lorelai's plate. Between bites she continues, "You are never going to guess what happened."

"You got a job in Omaha?"

Rory furrows her brow, "No. Why would I take a job in Omaha?"

"Never mind. What were you saying?"

"You know how I have been writing pieces for the Courant, while trying to revamp the Stars Hollow Gazette?"

"Yes," Lorelai confirms.

"It has finally paid off," Rory reveals.

"By paying the bills?"

"I have a very important meeting tomorrow," Rory announces.

"With who?"

"The devil himself."

"You're going to Georgia?" Lorelai quips.

"Because the Devil went down to Georgia? No."

"I have no clue who you mean."

"Mitchum Huntzberger."

"Why would he want to meet you?"

"Taylor, and I are meeting him tomorrow."

"Why?" Lorelai repeats.

"He wants to buy the Stars Hollow Gazette," Rory informs her.

"Huh?"

"It is a long story, but I will fill you in more tomorrow."

"Not to call you girl interrupted, or anything, but have you lost your mind?"

"I know it sounds crazy."

"It is beyond crazy. You have become certifiable."

"Thank you for your support."

"Not to change the subject, or anything, but do you think my skin looks radiant, today?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Someone else said it did."

Rory shrugs, "Sure, I guess."

"I am serious."

Rory stops, and scrutinizes her mother's face for quite some time, "It looks radiant. Why are you being so weird about it?"

Lorelai shrugs, "It is just an odd comment to make."

"I agree, but why is it relevant?"

"It's not. I was just trying to change the subject, because I cannot waste another moment of my time discussing the devil himself."

"What do you mean?" Rory furrows her brow.

"Before the Huntzberger's you were a bright capable girl, who was going to grab the world by the balls."

"I'm not sure that I ever put it that way."

"I raised a confident, slightly neurotic daughter. He told you weren't good enough. You were never the same after that. You let him get in your head. I think that you started to believe that you weren't good enough. Do you really think that his opinion has changed?"

"I'm not good enough. I didn't have it."

"If that was true you should have worked harder," her voice grows louder, "You didn't. You just rolled over, and gave up!"

"Shh!" Rory looks around, to find people staring at them.

"Don't shh, me. If people don't like it they can go somewhere else to eat," she argues.

From behind the counter Luke shoots Rory a look. She gives him an acknowledging nod, and grabs her mother by the elbow, leading her outside.


	7. Nothing But Dust

"What is your problem?" Rory growls the second they step outside.

"I don't like who you are around them. You let them treat you like dirt."

"Mom this could be a real opportunity."

Lorelai shakes her head, "When did you become this person?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The vapid girl who is perfectly content being the other woman? When did _my_ daughter become a goodtime girl who is content living off other people's table scraps? Sometimes I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

"Where is this coming from? Why are you so upset?" Rory tries to understand.

Lorelai's stomach begins to churn, "You used to have self-respect. What happened to you? You were supposed to be this incredible success story. You _were_ my magnum opus."

Rory rolls her eyes, "I am sorry if I disappointed you. I am sorry if I didn't live up to your dreams, or expectations."

Lorelai shakes her head as her anger grows her stomach becomes increasingly more unsettled, "I am angry, because you didn't live up to your own expectations. That is what disappoints me. You didn't have enough faith in yourself to meet your own expectations."

"I got tired of never being good enough," Rory admits.

"You stopped believing in yourself. You can't do that, Rory. You have to do better. You don't have a choice, anymore."

"Mom, I am sorry that I am not who you thought I should be."

"My wayward son," she comments.

"I know you think I am just a feather in the wind, who is never going to get her act together. I understand where you are coming from. I am trying to do better. I am trying to be better."

Lorelai shakes her head, "You don't get it. One day you will. One day your heart will live outside your body. Sometimes it will feel like your heart has been ripped out, and stomped on, and you have to go on, because there is a pair of little eyes looking up at you, expecting the world of you. That is what it is like," she lurches forward, with no notice and proceeds to vomit into the trashcan at the edge of the sidewalk. Rory grabs her hair in the nick of time. After a few moments Lorelai returns to an upright position.

"Do you feel better, now?"

"No," she shakes her head, while folding her arms across her chest.

"I have an extra toothbrush upstairs."

"Lead the way," Lorelai responds.

Rory turns to go back into the diner. After a couple of steps she realizes that Lorelai isn't with her. She spins around, and finds her getting intimately acquainted with the trash can again.

* * *

When Luke gets home he calls Lorelai's name. He hears a weak voice respond.

"I'm here."

He looks around, as the voice sounds as if it is coming from the living room. He furrows his brow, because he can't see Lorelai anywhere.

"Where?"

"Down here," she responds.

He steps past the couch, and finds her lying on the floor between the couch, and the coffee table. Her hair is secured in topknot, and she is pajama-clad.

"You're not dressed," he points out.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"I know that you haven't been feeling particularly well the past couple of weeks, but I don't feel like it should have affected your memory."

"It's karma, I am sure that it is fine."

"You keep saying that, but I am highly skeptical."

"Nearly two weeks ago I yelled at Rory outside the diner. I have been sick ever since. I keep thinking if I stop having such terrible thoughts about her potential merger with Mitchum Buttmuch, I might start feeling better."

"Whatever, just get dressed."

"Where are we going?"

"We have a doctor's appointment."

"You made a doctor's appointment? Luke, honestly I am fine. Today has just been a really bad day. I was feeling better, but Michel brought a stomach bug to work yesterday, and it has systematically begun making its way through my entire staff."

"It is probably the bug that you gave them to begin with," he argues.

"No doubt. Seriously though, I just came home from work a little early. I am sure I will be fine by tomorrow."

He glances at his watch, "It is noon, and you're in pajamas."

"Why do you want to drag me to the doctor?"

"I don't. You made the appointment. We are supposed to go see Paris today."

"Right. I'll be ready in ten, but we're bringing Greg."

He furrows his brow, "Who is Greg?"

"One of the waiters gave me an empty mayo bucket to puke in. We clean them, and use them for soapy water to clean things with. He is wearing protective garments."

Luke shakes his head, as he grabs a bucket with a few bags inside.

Luke sits next to Lorelai as the technician quietly probes around. Lorelai picks up on the concerned look on the technician's face. She looks over at Luke who simply shrugs. Lorelai can't handle the anticipation, and the screen is turned away from them.

"Is this where you tell me my eggs are of poor quality, or they are all dried up, and I will have to use donor eggs?" Lorelai queries.

The technician glances at her, over the screen, and shakes her head. She picks up the phone, and dials.

"Dr. Gellar, I need you to come to suite three. I am with your VIP's," she says.

Luke turns towards his wife, "That can't be good, can it?"

Lorelai shrugs, "Probably not."


	8. Peanut

Paris steps into the room, and takes a seat next to the technician. Paris looks at the screen, and then looks at Luke, and Lorelai. Lorelai nervously rubs the palm of her hand with her thumb.

"Is this where you tell me that my caffeine addiction has made my eggs radioactive, and thus virtually useless?"

Paris grins, as she looks at the screen. She adjusts the image, and peers at the two of them, over the screen.

"Jane, you can leave us, thank you."

The technician nods, and exits the room.

"Paris, whatever it is, just tell us. We know that it is going to cost a trillion dollars for an egg donor, and a surrogate. If that is the case just tell us now so we can be mentally prepared," Luke insists.

"As much as it pains me to say this, the two of you don't need my services."

"You're firing us?" Lorelai responds.

"I am not firing you. I am simply stating a fact."

"I don't understand," Luke admits.

"Could you clue us in, here?" Lorelai queries.

"You're eggs are fine."

Lorelai furrows her brow, "You were saying that the chance of conceiving with eggs over the age of forty four was less than one percent with each cycle."

"At this given time you won't be able to conceive at all using a surrogate. We simply cannot retrieve your eggs at this time," Paris explains.

"What are you saying? First you said my eggs are fine, and now you're saying that we can't retrieve them?"

"I think that it is easier if I show you what I mean," Paris suggests.

"We are not well versed in medical terminology, or testing. I doubt that either of us will have any idea what you're showing us," Luke admits.

"I think it will be pretty clear," she disagrees, as she turns the screen towards them.

Luke rubs his eyes, "What am I looking at? Is that an ovary?"

"It's a uterus," Paris corrects him.

Lorelai gasps, "No!"

He looks over at his wife. She rolls his eyes, and pulls his glasses out of the pocket of his shirt, and hands them to him. He puts the glasses on, and scoots his chair closer.

"I still don't know what I'm looking at. It looks like a peanut."

"It's not a peanut! Luke! There shouldn't be anything in there," Lorelai squeals.

"If there shouldn't be anything in there, then why are you so excited?"

"Luke, the two of you don't need me, because you have already made a dynasty of your own."

"Huh?" He scratches his head.

"An heir," Lorelai adds.

"A progeny," Paris offers.

"A little slugger," Lorelai continues.

Paris grins, and adjusts a knob. A rhythmic sound fills the room. Paris scrutinizes the monitor as they listen to the sound.

"Heart rate of one thirty two," Paris informs them.

Luke falls silent. He swallows hard, and looks at his wife, who has tears streaming down her face.

"That's a baby? Our baby?"

"Yes!" Lorelai squeals.

* * *

When they arrive home, both of them remain silent, as they collapse onto the couch. Luke looks over at his wife, and finds her smiling from ear to ear. She stretches out, putting her legs over his lap.

"What are you thinking?" He questions.

She grins, "Seven weeks ago we were enjoying lifetime movies."

"I have never enjoyed a lifetime movie," he points out.

"Which is precisely how we ended up in this predicament. It is also how I never get to finish a lifetime movie when you're around."

"I guess Greg is going to be your new best friend," he teases.

"I will have to decorate him, if he is going to be a proper accessory."

"Wow! Who would have thought?"

"I obviously was oblivious to the clear warning signs. The radiant skin, and the random vomiting did not alert me to this."

"How long do we have to wait to tell people?"

"A while."

"You should tell your mother," he suggests.

"She will broadcast it."

"Send her a cryptic text message," he suggests.

"I do love mind games," she grins, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

She sends her mother a message.

"What did you say?"

"I do have radiant skin."

He furrows his brow, "What? That makes no sense."

"I think she knew two weeks ago."

He shakes his head, "How? You didn't even know."

Her phone buzzes. She reads the text message aloud, "You're just now realizing this?"

"She thinks that you are talking about radiant skin," he points out.

He watches over her shoulder as she types, "This has just been confirmed by a reputable source."

He rolls his eyes, "You know that you are completely ridiculous."

"It is part of my charm," she argues.

"When are you going to tell Rory?"

She groans, "Rory."

"What about her?"

"She is going to murder me. This the plot of a lifetime movie."

"What is the plot of a lifetime movie?"

"Our lives."

He furrows his brow, "What are you talking about?"

"Rory would be great at writing a lifetime movie. I mean we have plenty of material. I was a teenage mom. Now I'm considered geriatric, and knocked up, at the same time…"

He interjects, "Oh. You're both…" he trails off.

"It has all the makings of a lifetime movie of the week."

"Are you going to tell Rory?"

"Not for a while."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nods in confirmation.


	9. Bed You Made

Rory enters the crap shack, and hangs her coat on the coat rack. She exits the foyer, heading into the hallway.

"Mom?"

"Kitchen," Lorelai answers.

Rory enters the kitchen, and finds Lorelai sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. Rory pulls out a chair, and takes a seat next to her.

"What's up, kiddo?" Lorelai glances at her watch, "Shouldn't you be headed to work?"

"I have a doctor's appointment this morning," she responds.

"Okay."

"Okay? That's all you've got to say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Do you want to go with me? I thought that you mentioned before that you did. You said that…"

"I recall the conversation," Lorelai admits.

"Do you want to go, or not?"

"I don't think that you need me to go," Lorelai responds.

"I don't need you to go, but I would like for you to go."

"I have to get to work," Lorelai insists as she vacates her seat.

"Mom, you own your own business. You can adjust your schedule accordingly."

"Rory, I can't do this."

Rory furrows her brow, "What are you talking about?"

"You have to do this on your own. I am not always going to be around to hold your hand."

"I don't understand. Where is this coming from?"

"I am your mother, and I am always going to be supportive of whatever you do."

"But?"

"It isn't my place to go with you. I am not the other half of this equation. I am not responsible for the child that you are bringing into this world."

"Are you telling me that you aren't going to help me?"

"Not at all. I am not the other parent. You have to realize that you made this decision."

"I get it, but I am just asking for you to go with me, and support me. Why don't you want to do that?"

"This is your baby."

"I don't understand what is happening right now."

Lorelai smiles at her, "One day you will."

* * *

Lorelai is sitting in her office going through invoices when her phone rings. She glances at the screen of her phone through her glasses. She unlocks the mobile device, and presses it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"What did you do to your kid?" Luke questions.

"What are you talking about?"

"She just came through here a few minutes ago blubbering. I tried to ask her what was wrong, and she just muttered something unintelligible, as she went upstairs."

"Did she come back down?"

"She just left. A little while ago, she said she was going to stop by the house. What happened between the two of you?"

"She asked me to go to her doctor's appointment with her."

"Where are you now?"

"I am at work. I have a business to run," she reminds him.

"Lorelai you've to ease up on her."

"Ease up on her? It is time that she start taking responsibility for her actions. I cannot pick up the pieces every time she does something irresponsible. She is an adult. When I was her age I had a sixteen year old. She has to realize that her actions have consequences."

"You didn't want to go with her to find out the gender?"

"It isn't my place," she argues.

"She asked you to go," he points out.

"Luke, she is an adult."

"Where is this coming from all of a sudden? I hate to say this, but you are starting to sound like your mother."

"The only way she is going to figure this out is if I let her do it on her own."

"Okay, who am I to question your plan?"

"You think I am being ridiculous?"

"A little," he admits.

That evening on her way home she is nearly in tears as she drives back to Stars Hollow. She pulls up against the curb outside of Luke's. She exits her car, and finds a familiar figure leaning against Luke's truck. She approaches him as she wears a pea coat, a scarf, and gloves.

"What are you doing here?" She questions.

"I was just in town, and I thought I would stop by to see you. Luke said that you weren't home yet."

"Jess Mariano, was just in town?" She cocks an eyebrow.

"Maybe I came to see you. Why don't we take a walk?" He suggests.

She nods in agreement. They move towards the town square.

"So what's new with you?" Rory questions.

"I think the better question is, what is new with you?" He responds.

"I am slumming it at the Hartford Courant."

"While writing a book, and being the editor of the Stars Hollow Gazette? Ambitious."

"I am not entirely sure how much longer I can juggle all of it."

"What do you mean?"

"It just isn't realistic for me to do it all much longer."

"Really?" He eyes her suspiciously.

"You know the situation," she reminds him.

"Is that still happening? I wasn't sure."

"Yes, it's still happening."

"Why do you appear so dismayed?"

"It is suddenly hitting me that I am really doing this on my own."

"Luke mentioned that your mom didn't go with you to your appointment today."

"She has been so distant lately. She has been incredibly harsh. I…"

"I am the last one to ever admit this," he begins as they take a seat on a bench in the gazebo, "but Lorelai typically knows what she is doing."

Rory takes a seat next to him, "What are you saying?"

"She always has a reason."

"True," Rory agrees.

"Have you stopped an asked yourself what it is that she is trying to teach you?"

"No."

"She isn't always going to be around," he adds.

"Bite your tongue," she insists.

"You have to figure out how to go it alone. I know that you have it in you."

She purses her lips, "How can you be so sure? I feel like everything is up in the air. I don't know how to be anyone's everything. I don't know how to do this. I don't know the first thing about babies. In a handful of months I am going to have one of my own. Who is going to watch her while I am at work? How am I supposed to get up, and go to work when I have been up all night with a crying baby? This isn't how I pictured it."


	10. I'll Show You The Ropes

"The problem with life is that it is rarely how we picture it. Tell me what you pictured."

"Something completely, and totally unrealistic," she admits.

"This is me you're talking to," he reminds her.

"I pictured a life like my grandparents. I pictured a big life, I guess."

He shakes his head, "You would never be content with that. You would be miserable. Big houses are lonely when you're alone. You would just be trying to be someone that you're not. He isn't right for you. He isn't good enough for you. He has made that abundantly clear. If he was good enough for you nothing would stand in his way. He would do whatever it takes to be with you."

"It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"You're having his kid, aren't you?"

"Maybe," she shrugs.

"Rory, what do you mean, maybe?"

"I ended things. That isn't true, because we didn't have a thing. It was an ongoing fling. Anyway, I was hurt after it was all said and done. I was trying to find my niche, and I couldn't. I was flitting from one thing to another. One weekend I was at Paris's, and I went to a party with her. It was a bunch of super successful, rich people. I felt unworthy, so I just kept drinking, trying to numb whatever it was I was feeling. I ended up doing the walk of shame back to her place the following morning."

"When did you become so reckless? What happened to the girl who made pro-con lists before even considering what movie to see?"

She shrugs, "I don't know what happened to her. I know I have to stop being reckless. I am having a baby. I am far too old to be acting this juvenile. I just don't know how I am going to do this."

"You can do this," he insists.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you're Lorelai," he answers.

She furrows her brow, and scrutinizes his facial expression, in an attempt to decipher his meaning.

"You are strong, and fierce, and brave. You can do anything, you just have to keep telling yourself so."

"What am I supposed to tell my kid? How do I explain why they don't have a father?"

He stops, and breaks eye contact, "How long are we going to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Pretend that we're finished. How long are we going to act as if we're satisfied with the end?"

"What do you mean?"

"We aren't naïve kids going two different directions anymore," he reminds her.

"What are you asking me?"

"I am trying to tell you something," he admits, struggling to find the right words.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"It was always you."

She falls silent. She allows time to pass as she processes what he has said. It makes no logical sense. Why would he say such a thing? She is knocked up by someone else. She is thirty two, and has nothing to show for herself.

"Why? Why would you want me?"

He shrugs, "The heart wants what the heart wants."

"It is completely illogical," she points out.

"Love often is."

"When did you become a sap?"

"Rory I am asking you if you would consider…"

She cuts him off, "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Why would you want to consider it, though? I am knocked up by someone else. I am living above Luke's diner. I have a mediocre job, and am still stuck on the right ending for my book. I have wasted so many opportunities, because I let my ego over inflate my head. I acted like a privileged kid with a trust fund to fall back on."

"You do have a trust fund to fall back on," he points out.

"That is the problem. I have always had a safety net. Someone has always been around to bail me out. Now, all of a sudden I realize that I needed to do it on my own. That is why my mother stopped talking to me when I stole a yacht. She saw then, what I am only seeing now. I screwed up. I should have been able to handle it on my own. I was an adult. I also should have seen that Logan was never right for me. He is the springboard for so many questionable decisions. Did I stroke out, or something? Why was I so okay with being the other woman? In what world did I lower my standards so much, that I am okay playing second fiddle to some blonde heiress bimbo? Why would you want me? I am not worthy of…"

He cuts her off, "Stop!"

"You can't even argue. All of it is true."

"You are an incredible person. You're right. Having a safety net has held you back. You haven't had to be successful, because it wasn't your only option. Now it is. You either sink or swim."

"I am completely drained physically, and emotionally."

"I have been reading the articles you have been writing lately, and they are on point."

"I doubt it. I am usually up until some ridiculous hour finishing my pieces for the Gazette."

"Give yourself a break. Not everyone can be successful right out the gate."

"You have it. What if I don't have it?"

"You have it. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool."

"How do you know?"

"It doesn't get polished, until you are at rock bottom," he points out.

"What exactly are you suggesting, anyway?"

"I can work from anywhere," he reminds her.

"You hate Stars Hollow."

"It has become more appealing lately," he admits.

"Because of me?"

"Yes."

"You grew up, and I regressed," she admits.

"Let me show you the ropes, Gilmore."


	11. Doubt

He enters the bedroom, from the master bath, and finds his wife sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard while reading a magazine, and chewing on her thumbnail. He takes a seat beside her, and watches as she peers through her glasses at an article she clearly isn't reading.

"Lorelai?"

She is so entangled in thought that she doesn't hear him calling her name. He scoots closer to her, until his face is practically touching hers, and she still doesn't notice. She wears a pair of blue, and grey flannel pajamas, and her unruly hair is temporarily restrained in a braid that lays on her shoulder.

"Lorelai," he repeats.

She turns to find Luke unusually close to her. She furrows her brow, and places her magazine on her lap. She tries to scrutinize his facial expression through her glasses, but it proves impossible as she refuses to progress from reading glasses to bifocals. She removes her glasses, and places them on her bedside stand.

"Why are you so close?" She questions.

"What's on your mind?" He quizzes.

"Nothing, why?"

"You were reading an article about organizing. You hate organizing," he reminds her.

"I wasn't actually reading it."

"Exactly, my point."

"I was just thinking."

"That is usually dangerous."

She exhales, and he notices the look on her face. He notices that her eyes are puffy, and red, as if she's been crying.

"What's wrong?"

"What if I can't do this?" Her forehead wrinkles.

"Do what?"

"What if my perception of my abilities is completely skewed? What if I'm not a good mom?"

His stomach does a backflip realizing she is on the verge of an existential crisis. He places his hand on her leg. He considers his answer carefully, and responds thoughtfully.

"Past, present, or future that is not a valid question."

She turns towards him, "Maybe I wasn't a good mom to Rory."

He shakes his head, "Stop. You are being completely irrational. You are an incredible mom."

"I made a lot of mistakes. I screwed her up," she argues.

"Every parent makes mistakes. You did not screw her up."

"She is thirty-two underemployed, knocked up, and living above your diner. She has no 401k, or IRA. She has no savings account. All she has in a bun in the oven, and a trust fund. I…"

"Lorelai, Rory is an incredible human being."

"She didn't become who I thought she would."

He smiles, "She isn't old enough to be president. I know it is disappointing that she isn't leader of the free world, but she is great."

"She is living above the diner," she reminds him.

"Everyone has to start somewhere. Her generation has different challenges than ours did at that age. She is still finding herself, and that is okay."

"Is it? When I was her age I had a teenager," she reminds him.

"Rory is going to be okay. She is always going to be okay, no matter what surprises, or adventures life puts in front of her."

"How can you be so sure?'

"Because she is _your_ daughter. She has your blood running through her veins. Also, she has your tenacity."

"What if we are too old to do this?"

He grins, "You should have thought of that before you did the deed that got us here."

"You were there too," she points out.

"Lorelai, stop worrying. Everything is going to be okay."

"What if it's not? So many things could go wrong. I am old, and…" she trails off as a lump forms in her throat.

He squeezes her hand, "I'm not going anywhere, no matter what."

* * *

Rory sits across the table from her mother as they eat lunch at Luke's. Rory is now heavily, and noticeably pregnant. She watches her mother, as she slowly, and carefully sips from a ceramic mug. Jess passes by, and gives Rory a look, as he scurries past them. Lorelai clears her throat, as the bell above the door rings.

"Rory?"

"Yes?"

"Blood of my blood, fruit of my loins," she begins.

"What?" Rory responds.

"How long are you planning on keeping up this charade?"

Rory furrows her brow, "What do you mean?"

"How long are we going to pretend that Jess is casually bunking with you because he has no other place to stay, and absolutely nothing is going on between the two of you? I mean he has been here for weeks."

"It has been months," Rory corrects her.

"And yet, every time I bring up the subject you avoid it like the bubonic plague. I brought you into this world, and…"

"What do you want me to say? I mean you have eyes, and you are typically pretty intuitive."

"So there is a thing?"

Rory nods, "There is a thing."

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

Rory shrugs, "I didn't want your wrath. I know what you think of Jess, and…"

Lorelai cuts her off, "That he is a decent guy, who cleaned up his act, and isn't the punk that he used to be?"

"Are you saying that you approve?"

"I would certainly never admit such a thing. I will consider agreeing that I like the situation far more than your other recent entanglements."

"Fair enough," Rory sips a cup of decaf.

Lorelai glances at her watch, "I have to go, kid."

"Are you feeling okay?" Rory enquires.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just look a little piqued," she observes.

"Fit as a fiddle," Lorelai answers.

"Whatever," Rory grins, as she watches Lorelai head for the door.

Luke follows her out the door. Rory watches suspiciously as Lorelai tugs at the hem of her shirt pulling it in a downward direction.


	12. Lifetime Movie

Rory has just crawled into bed, when her phone rings. The tiny human inside of her has caused an unnatural shift in her routine, including being in bed promptly by 9 PM. She reaches onto the bedside table, and places her phone against her ear.

"Hi, grandma," she yawns.

"You aren't in bed, are you?"

"No," she fibs.

"I was just checking in. I hadn't heard from you in a while."

"We talked yesterday," Rory sits up.

"Oh, I must have forgotten."

"You are a lot of things, but senile isn't one of them. Why are you calling me?"

"Have you spoken to your mother recently?"

"Grandma we live in a very small town. I see her every single day. Why are you asking?"

"Have you noticed anything different about her lately?"

"For example?"

"Radiant skin."

"She was mentioning something to me about radiant skin, but that was weeks ago."

"Weeks, or months?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Have you noticed anything odd about her lately?"

"Grandma, I don't know if you are aware of this, or not, but mom is always odd."

"Since birth," Emily recalls.

"She might be dying for all I know. She never tells me anything."

"Why would you say she's dying?"

"She has been drinking decaf coffee. I think she believes I haven't noticed."

"Interesting."

"You don't sound surprised. Do you know something I don't know?"

"She does have radiant skin."

"Have you ever considered that she gets some of her quirks from you?"

"On a rare occasion."

"Grandma why are you calling me at nine o'clock at night to ask if mom is acting odd?"

"I keep waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"An official announcement."

"Of what? Grandma I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really, Rory? You expect me to buy that? She tells you everything."

"Why don't you tell me what you think that I know about mom, and I can confirm or deny."

"As you know it's not something that you can hide for very long. I mean, eventually people are going to start to notice."

"Notice what?" Rory plays along with the game.

"She is in the family way?"

Rory furrows her brow, "Mom is in the family way?"

"She's got a bun in the oven," Emily clarifies.

"She's got a bun in the oven?" Rory repeats.

"She's knocked up," Emily rephrases.

"Knocked up?"

"Rory you are an Ivy League educated young woman, certainly you can respond more intelligently than a parrot."

"You're waiting for mom to officially announce that she is pregnant?" Rory tries to clarify.

"Yes."

"I'm going to have to call you back," she hangs up.

* * *

Lorelai is lying on the couch with a box of Kleenex, watching a Lifetime movie marathon. Luke descends the stairs, and hands her the telephone. She sits up, and presses the mobile device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Why are you crying?" Rory asks.

"This movie is just so sad."

"Ridiculous," Luke calls from the other room.

"Luke kicked me out of bed, he said I was being too noisy."

"I see."

"I just talked to you twenty minutes ago. Didn't you say you were headed to bed?"

"Yes. I have a quick question for you."

"Shoot," Lorelai responds.

"Are you pregnant?"

"Uh…"

"Mom?"

"Huh?"

"I just got a call from grandma. She seemed like she was in a frenzy. She said she was still waiting on an official announcement."

"Huh, maybe she's off her meds."

"I'm beginning to think someone is, but I don't think its grandma."

"Nice chatting with you, Rory. I've got to go."

"Not so fast," Rory growls.

"What? My show is on."

"Pause it."

"I hate that technology no longer allows for your favorite programming to be an excuse to get off the phone."

"Are you pregnant? Certainly you're not, right? I thought that ship had sailed. I mean I am six months along, so it would be pretty awkward if my mom was pregnant too."

"It really would. Wouldn't that be a good plot for a Lifetime movie?"

"I should start writing the script now," Rory jokes.

"Night, Rory, I love you."

"Lorelai Victoria! Do not make me come over there. It is a simple yes or no question."

"Yes, or no, that is my answer."

"Mom, are you pregnant?"

"Maybe, a little."

"Maybe a little? That is not an answer. Can you be serious for a second?"

"It has never seemed to work out in my favor," she admits.

"You are unbelievable. Grandma knew that you were pregnant, and I didn't? What kind of freaking science fiction movie is this? It certainly feels like an alternate universe."

"To be fair she knew before I did."

"So you are pregnant?" Rory responds in outrage.

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"For a while."

"How long?"

"Just a few weeks," Lorelai fibs.

"As in three weeks?"

"Maybe a few more than that."

"How far along are you?"

"Just a few more weeks than that."

"Six week?"

"Eh, maybe more than that."

"How far along are you?!"

"Fifteen weeks."

"Fifteen weeks?! You have been keeping this little tidbit from me for all of that time?"

"To be fair I didn't know right away."

"You didn't know right away? Didn't it involve planning, and scientific procedures?"

"It involved too many Lifetime movies, and too much alcohol."

"What?! What do lifetime movies have to do with your current state?"

"We started watching a Lifetime movie, and Luke suggested we make a drinking game out of it."

"Oh, geez, you can stop there. I don't need to know all the details."

"You asked how it happened."

"You could have just said, 'The old fashioned way'. It would have been far simpler."

"Good night, love you," Lorelai hangs up.

Rory tosses her phone onto the dresser, and screams into her pillow.


	13. Little Lolita

He presses his hand up against the glass. He smiles as he looks at a brand new baby girl. He watches as the nurse gives her a bath. He waits impatiently as they dry her off. Nearly an hour later they allow him to transport her into her mother's room. He enters the room, and finds Rory look absolutely disheveled, and completely beautiful. He scoops the little girl up out of her basinet, and places her in Rory's arms. He takes a seat in a chair next to the bed. He grins from ear to ear as he watches them.

"She looks perfect," she smiles.

"Rory, I need to ask you something."

"Yes, Jess?"

"Would you consider marrying me?"

Her eyes widen as she meets his, "Where is this coming from?"

"Even in my own twisted way I knew that you were the one the first time that I saw you. Today solidified that fact. You were incredible. I just want to be a part of your lives."

"Jess, there is something that I need to tell you."

"Can it wait?"

"No," she shakes her head.

"What is this about?"

"Your baby wookie," she responds.

"She doesn't look like Chewbacca," he admits, as he gazes at a newborn with chubby cheeks, blue eyes, and dark hair.

"I didn't say anything before, because I didn't know what you would say."

"That she may be part wookie?"

"I want to have a DNA test done."

"That is totally up to you. It isn't going to change how I feel about either of you."  
"I think that you should submit a sample."

He furrows his brow, "What?"

"When I moved into Luke's I found my journal. One night I was apparently really distraught, and so I called you. You met me at the newspaper, and drank me under the table."

"I don't really remember that."

"You soon joined me under the table."

"Figuratively?"

"I fell out of my chair, and slid under the desk. You apparently joined me. Hours later I woke up with you, under a blanket."

"That seems like circumstantial evidence, at best."

"We were both naked. I woke you up, and told you to get dressed. You managed to get you underwear on, before you passed back out. I put my clothes back on, and stumbled home."

"What are you saying?"

"I went home, and drunkenly wrote about it in my journal. It was thirty nine weeks ago."

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Yes. I didn't know how you would react, so I didn't tell you. I was afraid that you would freak out."

"There are other possibilities, aren't there?"

"Yes," she confirms.

"It doesn't matter," he tells her.

"Why not?"  
"I want to be her dad, either way, if it is okay with you."

"I don't want you to spend the rest of her life wondering."  
Before they can finish their conversation Lorelai bursts into the room. She pushes through the door, and her swollen abdomen enters the room first.

"I was two hours away when you called. How did I miss it?"

Jess grins, "You know a Gilmore Girl, when she has made up her mind that she is ready she makes an entrance."

"I need her," Lorelai insists, as she lowers herself into a chair.

Jess places her in Lorelai's waiting arm. Lorelai closely studies the newborn baby girl. She kisses her tiny hand.

"Hi beautiful. I am your…. Mommy's mom."

* * *

Hours later Lorelai, and Luke crawl into their bed completely exhausted. Lorelai hoists herself into bed next to her husband. She looks over at him, and finds him staring at a picture on his phone.

"Are you looking at that baby, again?"

"I have something that I need to say," he answers, as he hands her the phone.

"You're going to let her call you grandpa?"

"No."

She studies his facial expression, "You seem deeply concerned." She notices the worry line on his forehead that appears on rare occasions.

"She looks like Jess."

She furrows her brow, "Don't be ridiculous."

He points at the phone. Her eyes shift to the mobile device in her palm. She studies the image of a sweet newborn lying in a basinet.

"When did you take this picture? I don't remember you taking this."

"I didn't take it. Liz sent me that picture. It is Jess."  
Her eyes widen, "That isn't possible."

"Lorelai, look. He is practically her twin."

"I am pretty sure that she is an heiress, or baby wookie."

"I think Uncle Luke is more like it," he responds.

She grabs her phone off the bedside table, and pulls up the picture of her brand new grandbaby. She looks at them side by side.

"Holy shit!"

"See, I told you," he responds.

"Rory would have said something," Lorelai insists.

"What if Jess didn't know?"

"All he has to do is take one look at that sweet, innocent, nameless baby."

"Jess kept calling her Lolita," Luke points out.

"We are not calling her Lolita."


End file.
